Viveka Sloka 12 Tel Eng

	
సమ్యగ్విచారతః సిద్ధా రజ్జుతత్త్వావధారణా ।
భ్రాంతోదితమహాసర్పభయదుఃఖవినాశినీ ॥ 12॥ (పాఠభేదః - భ్రాంత్యో)

భ్రాంత్యా=భ్రాంతిచేత, ఉదిత మహాసర్పభయదుఃఖ వినాశినీ = పుట్టిన మహాసర్పమువలన కలిగిన దుఃఖమును నశింపజేసెడి, రజ్జుతత్త్వా వధారణా = ప్రౌడుయొక్క యథార్ధ స్వరూపముయొక్క నిర్ధారణము, సమ్య గ్విచారతః - బాగుగా విచారణచేయుటవలన మాత్రమే, సిద్ధా-సిద్ధించును.

కనుచీకటిలో నేలపై పడిఉన్న తాడును చూచి సర్పమను కొన్న పురుషుడు భయపడినవాడై, దీపమును తీసికొని వచ్చిన పిమ్మట బాగుగ పరిశీలించి, ఆ వస్తువు యథార్థస్వరూపమును తెలిసి కొని, భయము, వణకు మొదలగు దుఃఖమును విడచును అను విషయము ప్రసిద్ధము.

అచట త్రాడునందు, భ్రాంతిచే ఆవిర్భవించిన ఏ మహాసర్పముయొక్క జ్ఞానమువలన కలిగిన దుఃఖమును తొలగింప జాలిన రజ్జుతత్త్వనిర్ణయము బాగుగ ఆలోచించుటవలన కలిగినదో, అట్లే భ్రాంతిచే కలిగిన సంసారదుఃఖమును, అనగా జన్మమరణముల వలన కలుగు దుఃఖమును, తొలగించెడి తత్త్వనిర్ణయము, అనగా ఆత్మ యథార్థస్వరూపజ్ఞానరూపమగు ఆత్మసాక్షాత్కారము గూడ సమ్యగ్విచారణ చేయుటవలననే కలుగును అని ఈ దృష్టాంతము సర్వాంశములందును ప్రకృతోపయుక్తముగ ఉన్నది.

ఆప్తుల ఉపదేశముప్రకారము చేయు విచారమే అర్థ నిర్ణయమునకుగాని, మరియొక కర్మ ఏదియు కాజాలదనియు చెప్పుచున్నాడు.

samyagvichārataḥ siddhā rajjutattvāvadhāraṇā ।
bhrāntōditamahāsarpabhayaduḥkhavināśinī ॥ 12॥ (pāṭhabhēdaḥ - bhrāntyō)

If one loses money in stock market because of a computer gliche, who is responsible? The computer maker, the software writer or the store that sold it? Humans ever since the industrial revolution are damaging the environment one way or another. Who pays for this? We all are paying if the newer generations are repeating the same mistakes as their predecessors. The nuclear stockpiles were a matter of concern during the last century. These days the threat of nukes has been overridden by the threat of computers and their networks. Do we misunderstand computers as a threat to our existence? After all, computer is a machine and like any other machine, it was created with human ingenuity and must obey human commands. While computers are not the threat, it is the human operator that is to be blamed for their malfunction. A parallel in scripture is called "ninda stuti" which means some people blame the creator for everything that has gone wrong over and over. In Bhagavata Skandha 7, the following conversation between Dharma Raja and Narada ensued:

"O Narada, Sisupala hated the Lord and developed animosity toward Him. Yet, how could he attain salvation? Why didn't his soul go to hell? Dantavaktra, similarly, had animosity toward the Lord. The two always cursed the Lord. Why did they not end up in hell? As everyone watched, their souls merged in Vasudeva. I am unable to understand this. Like a wick lamp that is shaken by the wind, my mind is wavering. You are omniscient. Please give me a clarification" said Dharma Raja.

Narada said "Dharma Raja, to experience praise and curse, honor and censure the mortal body has been given. Jivas ascribe I-mine thoughts around it. Does the paramatma have love for his body? There are no dualities in him. He has no hatred either. Nor does he know the haters. One can attain paramatma in any manner."

"Mortals attain the Lord by cursing him sooner than the devotees" said Narada.

Some even though are haters of the Lord, chant his name feverishly making them eligible for salvation. Just as devotees attain Lord Krishna, some with desires, a few with hatred, some with fear and others with friendliness attain the Lord as well.

"Gopikas by love, Kamsa by fear, Sisupala with enmity, Yadavas with friendship, ascetics like me with devotion attained the Lord" said Narada.

We sometimes blame the creator, whether human or god, for all of our misunderstandings and mistakes. When one is unemployed or stuck in poverty he may feel god caused him misery. He doesn't realize that his past actions have manifested as prarabda karma that has caused his sorrow.

In this sloka, Sankara provides a scenario to illustrate -- used widely in the vedanta literature called rajju-sarpa drishtanta . When one sees what he believes as a snake, in darkness, fear will envelop. The visuals of foam coming out of the mouths of snakebitten people pop up ominously in the mind and he will conclude his painful death is imminent from the snakebite if he doesn't act. Soon the amygdala's "fight or flight" response takes over. He looks for a stick or a stone to scare away the snake, or with heart racing, tries to run away from it. If resolving to fight, he sees that the snake is not moving despite his provocations. He realizes he needs bright light to discern the truth.

Until he sees in bright light a rope that he mistook as a snake, he will be distressed. Some non-believers, still not convinced, beat the apparent snake with a stick. Thus after confirming that it is not a snake, and he is not in mortal danger, he feels relieved and may even laugh at himself.

Sankara says if you mistake a rope for a snake and go through fearful emotions, it is because of your ignorance. You need light to see the truth and vidya is such a light. Only with knowledge can you overcome the ignorance about Reality and extricate yourself from sorrow. Vedanta says the adhishtana or the support for the wrong belief in the snake, is the rope for without the rope there is no specter of a snake. Therefore, our sorrow from samsara (bondage), mortal fear of old age and death, are because we don't see the adhishtana and continue to be influenced by the abhasa which in the drishtanta given by Sankara is the non-existent snake.